Washington. Racist text messages with references to slavery caused alarm across the country this week after they were sent to black men, women and students, including high school students, prompting investigations by the FBI and other agencies.
The messages, sent anonymously, were reported in several states, including New York, Alabama, California, Ohio, Pennsylvania and Tennessee. They used a similar tone, but with some changes in their wording.
Some of the messages instructed the recipient to show up “with their belongings” at a specific address and time, while others did not include a location. Some of them mentioned the administration of the next president, Donald Trump.
It is currently unknown who sent the messages and there was no complete list of the places from which they were sent, but the recipients included high school and university students.
The FBI indicated that it is in contact with the Department of Justice, while the Federal Communications Commission indicated that it is conducting an investigation “along with law enforcement authorities at the federal and state levels.” The Ohio prosecutor’s office also announced an investigation into the case. .
Tasha Dunham, a resident of Lodi, California, said her 16-year-old daughter showed her one of the messages before her basketball practice Wednesday.
The message not only included her daughter’s name, but demanded that she show up at a “plantation” in North Carolina, where, according to Dunham, they have never lived. When they looked up the address, it turned out to be the location of a museum.
“It was very disturbing,” Dunham said. “Everyone is trying to figure out what this all means, so I was definitely very scared and very worried.”
At first, her daughter thought it was a joke, but emotions are running high after Tuesday’s presidential election. Dunham and her family thought it might be something more nefarious and reported it to local authorities.
